North Texas, South Texas, East Texas, West Texas and Austin

LOL...North Texas, South Texas, East Texas, West Texas and Austin. We would then move to the free state of Austin. I always love his videos.  I'm referring to my partner, Peter's recent posting of "Can Texas Secede From The Union?"  The video was so smart and hilarious.

Yeah, I could definitely see many of our out of state liberal friends wanting this state to leave. Hell, sometimes I can't even stand many of its' ill conceived policies run by an idiot that was voted in by idiots. The fact is though that with its' faults it also has many promises like lots of available area to live, work and start a family in a climate that's lovely minus the occasional hurricane and constant humidity. This with its' thriving economy, and promise of jobs and lower taxes and costs of living, many outsiders have flocked to this state in a mass migration.

The great news is that the people that are moving are coming from more expensive and liberal states, and they are not ashamed to bring their views with them. This state can only be the crazy conservative state for so long before its' changing population starts voting the other way, turning the state blue. It will happen. If things like gay marriage and immigration rights are no longer a party issue then it won't be too long before the conservative religious parts of the republican party just stop voting, as they're threatening to do now. Once that happens, along with cultural changes and time, Texas will be a thriving liberal state and Rick Perry will be a relic from the past. We will party when that day arrives.
 
I cannot wait. Texas will not be its' own country. It's heading in the complete opposite direction to one day be just like the other large, liberal states in our country, and there's nothing that these conservatives can do about it except move. Problem is that the only countries that still share their views are third worlds parts of Africa and the middle east, and last time I checked most bible belt religious fanatics don't really like black or brown people. They could build a space ship and colonize another planet in their conservative image, but that would mean they'd have to believe in science first to actually accomplish such a feat. 

The only option I could think of left would be if God himself came down and brought them all up to heaven, which I'm sure they're all hoping for. Only, last time I checked, God didn't approve of haters. Tough luck people. Sucks to be you. Your time has past and our victory is nigh! Someone hit the play button to Kool and the Gang's "Celebration" already. 

My Christian Thoughts - Premiere Issue: Alfie's Home

Honestly, this has got be the most atrocious thing I have ever seen in my entire life.  We start today's new series, "My Christian Thoughts", with a book titled, "Alfie's Home".

It's a Sunday and most people are at church.  I know, I know.

Ironically enough, I used to be a frequent church-goer as a child - and way into my teenage years.  Taught Sunday School, led hymns even gave one sermon.  I wore a suit and tie often, carried around my Bible and even spread the Word of God to fellow school mates in and out of school.  What happened, you ask?  Nothing happened, I just realized the truth.  God created me as I am, and he loves me as I am.  He made me who he wanted to be.  I've said this many times before, I didn't wake up one day when I was four years old and say, "I think I want to be Gay today".

It's people like the author of this book that terrify me.  And I'm sorry to say this, but most Christians & Republicans believe in this manner.  No, I'm not sorry - most Christians & Republicans DO believe this way.

Earlier this month, PFOX (Parents and Friends of Gays and Ex-Gays) and the Family Research Council submitted a brief  that states that gays and lesbians shouldn't be a "protected class" under the law because homosexuality is something that can be changed or corrected.  So to show evidence, they provided this children's book.  I about threw up.

Alfie’s Home was published in 1993 by Cohen’s International Healing Foundation. [Image Excerpt Source]

The book starts with a picture of the protagonist on a boat with his dad.

But it goes bad fast, going right for the right-wing myth that homosexuality is caused by childhood sexual abuse…

…and by insufficiently attentive parents:

Eventually, Alfie seeks help and takes part in the “touch therapy” advocated by Cohen…

…which leads him to “realize that I’m not gay” and start dating a woman:

Oh and by the way, I was raised by two loving parents who were both excellent teachers and the most amazing people in the world. They taught me to cook, clean, change the oil, work on farm, write, read and most importantly love. And while some gay boys are molested as children and teenagers, most are not.  So to hell with this author - along with the images and story he's trying to convey.

Rush Limbaugh's Letter To The American People [NSFW]

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It's Okay To Be A Bully, So Long As It's For Religious Reasons

Jacob Rogers

Yep, the good 'ol south - you gotta love'em. It hasn't even been a month since a local gay teen in Tennessee was buried that a new law allowing kids to bully is being proposed by the State Legislature.  I know, you're thinking I'm trying to push some liberal agenda, that no conservative would ever do such a thing.  But guess what, it's true!

As local news channel WSMV is reporting, the proposed law change by state lawmakers would allow students to speak out against homosexuality without punishment if that's what their religious beliefs call for. [source]

So in other words... if my child is walking through the halls, minding their own business, and a religious kid comes up and tells him or her they are going to hell, they're a sinner or sodomite, they will have every right to ridicule them and belittle them?  Yes, this new law will allow that.  You mean to tell me, if they tell my child "you're a fag and are going to burn in eternal fire," and my child might not even be gay - that will be okay? YEP.

It's true and it's sad, but this type of behavior is what led many of us to contemplate suicide when we were younger.  I would often find myself praying myself to sleep asking God to make me normal, asking him why would he made me this way if I was his child.  Depression kicks in, and everything you're taught to believe in this world turns out to be a lie. You start to believe that everyone, and every thing is a lie!

In correspondence with the Tennessee Equality Project, the state's main gay rights group, state Rep. John Ragan, R-Oak Ridge, claimed gay people commit suicide at a higher rate than others and suggested Jacob's sexuality itself drove him to kill himself. Ragan asked whether the suicide could have had "more to do with his own proclivities and behavior than anything to do with schoolmate bullies ..."

Blaming the victim is necessary to prevent Jacob's death from damaging chances for passage of Tennessee's 2012 state legislative priority—a bill to make it easier for young bigots to mistreat gay schoolkids. This legislation brought by conservative Christians who oppose special protections for gay people actually gives special protections to homophobic bullies. [source]

Post Secret Fridays - Issue 089

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard.

 See More Secrets. Follow PostSecret on Twitter.

 Want to see older Post Secret Friday issues? Go here.

Read a special message from Frank Warren of PostSecret.com about him closing down the Post Secret App after the jump.

Is Newt Gingrich The New Conservative Angel?

Newt Gingrich., Stephen Voss / Redux

Can someone please explain to me how the conservative evangelicals on the right are jumping on the Newt Gingrich bandwagon?  Please, can someone explain to me how these people are seeing him as viable candidate over Mitt Romney?  Granted, I don't like Romney, but then again, I'm not Republican.  The man has been married to the same woman for 42 years!  I at least give him that much credit.

Never mind that he divorced his first wife while she was suffering from cancer, something he used in many of his campaign speeches.  He then had an affair on his second wife with a congressional aide, who is currently his third wife.[source]

Isn't this the party of Family Values?  Isn't this the party of religion?

Then again, what am I saying? these same people helped elect Ronald Reagan, our first and only divorced President.

Wait, I Forget, Is It Ann Coulter or Mike Huckabee Who Hates Us More?

Seeing homophobes Mike Huckabee and Ann Coulter sitting down together brings a special feeling to our hearts. Especially when the pair of them start bickering about who hates gay people more: The bigot blonde bimbet or the failed president who hides his hate behind religion. 

True Texans With Big Hearts Do Exist... (Video)

I'm honestly going to say this video brought me to tears.  As you all know by now, my partner and I are from Texas - the reddest of the Red States, one of the most conservative states in our union.  This is a state which has the strictest laws against gays in this country, a state where any business can refuse service to my partner and I.  But if ever a statement were right, this is the right time to say it; The majority of Texans DO have a big heart.

On Friday, May 20th, ABC Primetime’s “What Would You Do?” covered an important, and controversial topic in the small, conservative Texas town of Farmer's Branch. The clip below took place inside Norma's Cafe.  The purpose of the segment was to see what customers would do if a waitress started to vocalize her feelings towards a gay couple raising children.  The waitress, who's an actress, begins to belittle and berate the gay couple (who are also actresses) for being gay, and raising children. What comes next, is what's surprising.  Keep in mind, this town is home to a 4 year Bible College - Dallas Christian College.

Yes, the people who make our state laws, and the people who vote for them reflect the same beliefs the waitress portrayed in this video - hateful, judgemental, and vengeful people.  Do these type of people reside in our families? Yes, they do.  Do we work with them? Yes, we do.  Do we love them? Yes, we do.  But will we grow to be like them? No, we wont!

Dead or Alive?

Would it have been better to capture Osama bin Laden and try him for war crimes, or is he better off dead?  This is on the minds of majority of Americans.  

This article doesn't say it, but something tells me the right-wing nuts are only having a change of heart, because Obama is currently President.

Ron Paul Kicking Obama Out of The White House

Ron Paul kicking Obama out of the White House has much of a chance of happening, as Rick Perry having Texas secede from the Union.  I know it's laughable, but for the 2nd year in a row Ron Paul has managed to come away the winner at the Conservative Political Action Committee conference (CPAC) held in Washington, DC.

Ron came out of the conference with 30 percent of the straw vote, with Mitt Romney coming in second with 23 percent.  All the other nuts, like Ricky Perry, Sarah Palin, Donald Trump, Chris Christie, Michele Bachmann, Mitch Daniels, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum and Tim Pawlenty came out with less than 7 percent of the vote.

Commentator Franz said it best when he stated, "Ron Paul is for freedoms as long as it doesn't infringe upon his right to discriminate. Like most Libertarians.  What they mean by live and let live, and less government is Fuck everyone else as long as government doesn't touch my money and my rights. Fuck Ron Paul, his whole platform is undermined by his permissiveness in reserving full protection of the law and equal economic distribution only for straight Christians."

A Tea Partier's Dream - Tea For Glee!

Actually, it's for both: The Tea Partiers and the extreme right conservatives, but that's besides the point.  Marc Cherry, a known Gay Republican, is out and about promoting his next creation, Hallelujah.  He says the new show will be a cross between Dallas and Touched By An Angel.  Really, Marc? You're telling me you're going to have an ultra-conservative JR (Larry Hagman) and a supreme liberal Bobby (Patrick Duffy) battling it out for the preacher's wife?  Oh wait, that's already been written. 

The creator of Desperate Housewives, Golden Girls and countless other sitcoms, says "he dreamed up a mysterious stranger who brings hope and, perhaps, miracles to these small town citizens in ways they initially won't understand. But fans of Housewives' cheekiness won't be disappointed. He promises to deliver characters with "delicious, juicy, dark secrets" involved in battles between good and evil.  There will be a "generous helping of gospel music," Cherry told TVGuide.com.  "I'm calling it Glee for conservative Republicans."

Seriously... I don't know what's worse, this or the Tea Party magazine hitting news stands this weekend. (I'll blog about that absurdity later.)  I can't wait to see what the Tea Partiers say about this show, should it see the light of day.